Dog owner blames city of Châteauguay for his pet’s broken leg

Gerry Parillo says he may sue the city after he and his Yorkshire Terrier, Olivia, slipped on an icy sidewalk

The vet bill for Olivia, a Yorkshire Terrier with a broken leg, cost almost $4,000. (Photo courtesy: Gerry Parillo)

A Châteauguay man wants the city to pick up the tab for an expensive vet bill for his four-year-old Yorkshire Terrier, Olivia.

Gerry Parillo was out walking Olivia one evening in mid-December when he slipped and fell on a patch of ice, taking Olivia down with him.

'Her paw was dangling. She was yelping,'- Gerry Parillo, dog owner

“I had her on her leash, and with the force of my fall, she eventually fell with me. She was screeching in pain and I knew something was wrong. I picked her up and I noticed her paw was dangling. She was yelping,” Parillo said.

Parillo rushed to the vet, where he was told his dog had a broken leg.

$4,000 vet bill

The dog was in a cast for three weeks, and its vet bill cost Parillo almost $4,000.

He’s blaming the City of Châteauguay for the unsafe road conditions, and says they should cover the cost of his dog’s treatment.

“Because of the icy patches and the negligence of the city — not putting salt on the streets — it obviously was not safe to walk,” Parillo said.

The city’s blue collar workers, who take care of all the snow-removal and de-icing operations on all of Châteauguay’s roads and sidewalks, say city officials often wait before deploying crews.

“Unfortunately, what happens is that the employer doesn't send employees early enough to deice the roads,” said blue collar spokesman Jean-Guy Simard.

City refuses to foot the bill

“I am very sorry for what happened to Mr. Parillo and his dog, but it’s winter conditions. The city of Châteauguay is doing its best for snow removal and salting the streets and we cannot avoid, unfortunately, all the accidents.”

Parillo says he is considering fighting this battle before a judge in small claims court.

As for Olivia, her cast has been removed and she's starting to walk again.